THE HERBIE HANCOCK GROUP: HEAD HUNTERS

After brilliant, but commercialy unsuccessful album of the same year ( but with another band) "Sextant", Hancock formed another bad and released their first album - "Head Hunter". Till now, this album is most popular Hancock album ever.

New band ( "Headhunters") was the beginning of the new direction - instead of long psyhedelic compositions, based on cold synth-keyboard mixed with brass section and very advanced structurs of "Sextant"period, "Head Hunter" is based on funky rhythm and is much more structurised. In fact, it is more rhythm, then melody. African drumming plus heavy bass line,mixed with all range of synthesizers, produced great groove. First of all serie of funk-jazz albums still contains long compositions and isn't too commercial.But the magic is gone.

For sure, this album is more accessible than "Sextant" or some earlier albums, so it received great commercial success in time of it's release. But for me it is first step out of Hancock "golden age".